Ascendance of a Bookworm

Benno arrogantly said, "Talk about papermaking so we can decide the location and size of the workshop," but isn't this the kind of situation where charging a fee for information, like we did with Rinshan, would be appropriate?

I watched Benno’s expression carefully before speaking.

"The profits from the Plant Paper Association won’t come to us, so I’ll be charging a fee for information about how to make paper, okay?"

"…Fine. How much do you want?"

Benno smirked and tapped the table lightly.

Honestly, I had no idea how much to charge for information about papermaking. What would be a fair price?

"Um, how much would you pay, Benno?"

"I’ll pay whatever you want. How much?"

He grinned as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

My reference point for information fees was the three small gold coins from Rinshan. Since the association was setting up something new for paper, Benno must have thought there was a lot of potential to profit.

"Ugh… I’ll have to charge double what I did for Rinshan."

"Alright, come on then."

Benno took out his Guild Card and shook it at me. I also pulled out my Guild Card, and we clicked them together.

Without breaking his smirk, Benno accepted my terms outright. Maybe I could have asked for more, but I still didn’t know the market rate.

As I pondered this, Otto crossed his arms and looked at Benno.

"Even if the workshop layout is decided based on Myne’s info about tools, scale, and location, why not just reuse the tools stored in the warehouse for now?"

Otto’s comment startled me.

"Those are Myne Workshop’s tools! If they’re taken away, we won’t be able to make paper."

"…The warehouse belongs to your master, though."

Lutz commented, and I pouted, turning my gaze to Benno. If our tools were repurposed and taken away, it would cause us serious trouble. Besides, those tools aren’t designed for mass production.

"But they really aren’t suitable for mass production. The Myne Workshop’s tools are not fit for that."

"Huh?"

Benno raised his eyebrows, clearly confused, so I started explaining.

"The tools there were designed as prototypes with the primary goal of completing samples. We made them lightweight, compact, and simple for ease of use, so they’re not good for mass production. Also, to avoid burdening Benno with too much upfront cost, we’ve been making do with some substitutes…"

"Wait, why did you hold back when I said I’d pay? You should get the best equipment."

Otto said, surprised, "Are you stupid or what?" But I’d never thought of using someone else’s money to get the best equipment. Back then, even getting a single nail was hard, so I always thought about how to keep costs as low as possible.

"I wasn’t that bold back then. Maybe now I could be a bit more assertive."

"Don’t get bolder with me. So, what do you mean by saying the tools aren’t fit for mass production?"

"It’s about physical size differences."

I thought of an easy example for Benno.

"For example, the papermaking screen we use is contract-size, but a grown man could use a much larger screen to make paper. If we could use one four times that size, it would be much more efficient."

"I see."

Making paper contract-size bit by bit would be time-consuming. If you have the strength for bigger screens, it’s better to make paper in larger batches.

"Also, we use a big washbasin that we can barely handle, but with a larger screen, you’d also need a bigger boat to make the funamizu (pulp mixture), right? And the horse hoe we use now is just a bundle of chopsticks that Lutz made…"

"I don’t recognize any of those tools."

Since some tools weren’t ordered, Benno tapped his temple and glared at me.

"Hmm, maybe it’s hard to understand what tools are needed and how you substitute now without showing me at the warehouse."

"I see. Then we’ll visit the warehouse for inspection tomorrow. I’ve never seen your workspace, so it’s perfect."

He casually made the plan, and I was taken aback. I pictured the schedule I had for papermaking.

"Even if it’s an inspection, we just finished papermaking today. Tomorrow, the paper will only be drying, so there’s no work planned. I was thinking of going to the forest to gather raw materials."